Building Blocks and Baby Steps
by greensaber92
Summary: The Second Titan War is over, but for seventeen year old Leslie Banks some of the deaths are still hitting close to home. After waiting in the Hermes cabin for five years she is finally claimed. Leslie decides its time to rebuild. Will all of her baby steps result in her being truly happy again after the war?


**Hello everyone! I have been on for a while now over a year I think. I'm not really positive. Anyway I am taking a break from my Lab Rats fanfiction and my Harry Potter fanfiction and starting my first pjo fanfiction, "Rebuilding" As I am not Rick Riardon I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus series. **

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I wandered around camp and watched the scenes go by. My friend Mark and the rest of the Apollo cabin were finished mourning the death of their previous head councilors Lee Fletcher and Michael Yew so they were back to their sunny selves, a red headed twelve year old named Lisa who I knew from sleeping next to in the Hermes cabin had just been claimed as a daughter of Hecate, and Annabeth Chase could be seen bending over her drafting paper already creating architectural designs for Olympus and the few remaining new cabins that were left to be installed at camp.

Unlike many people who were just starting to get back out of a "Crap we're about to face of the Titans mode" or who were just finished mourning for family and friends, I was feeling lost and unsure of what to do. Part of me told myself to be happy. The war we had been preparing for was over, we had won, and Percy Jackson had succeeded and was now the savior of Olympus. In a story book ending everything was perfect. But somehow to me it wasn't perfect.

Most demi-gods had decided to just start over. They were turning over a new leaf, if you will, and just forgetting about what had happened. This concept seemed completely wrong to me. People had _died_. Sure I wasn't particularly close to any of the deceased but still, Silena Beauregard had always sniffed at us in the Hermes cabin when she came to survey how clean the old green shack was, Beckendorf had always so eager to show campers around the forges, and Michael Yew and Lee Fletcher were always so happy and fun to share a laugh with. And now all these people were gone.

Even though the war was a full five months ago it was still very fresh and alive to me. I'd turn around thinking I heard a little girl who slept in cabin eleven with me laugh and only see a tree were I thought she should be standing, once I actually thought I saw a twelve year old boy from cabin six chasing after his crush from the Demeter cabin. It was all so life like and it hurt. I had been fairly good friends with Castor and Pollux from the Dionysus cabin, and sometimes I had to stop myself from calling Pollux, his twin brother Castor's name. It was scary how I felt like I was still living in the past.

When I saw Lisa get claimed I ran over to congratulate her, _my_ mother still hadn't claimed me. I was seventeen and had come to camp a year before Percy Jackson. Over all of the year my mom couldn't be bothered to claim me. My dad and I lived on the outskirts of Trenton, New Jersey. My dad didn't know who my mom was. Never had, and with how long it was taking my mom to claim me I was seriously doubting if he ever would.

Percy Jackson had made all of the Olympians and minor gods swear on the River Styx that they would always claim their children by the age of thirteen. Within the first few weeks nearly all of "undetermined" kids in the Hermes cabin had been claimed. Except for Lisa and me, we were still stuck sleeping on the floor in old battered green sleeping bags. Now Lisa had been claimed and I was the only "undetermined camper" left.

I had been trying all five years since I had come to Camp Half-Blood to determine who my mother was. I had not succeeded. I just wasn't special. I made people laugh with my random and weird behavior and logic, I could wield a sword without chopping my head off by this time, and I always beat the Stoll brothers and the Dionysus twins when we played poker or other card games, but other than that I wasn't good at anything.

Welcome to my life, my name is Leslie Christina Banks, and I'm a seventeen year old demi-god who isn't claimed.

Lisa was really excited to have been claimed by Hecate, the goddess of magic, witchcraft, and crossroads. I was honestly really happy for her. The smile on her face was huge. She chattered on about how she was going to learn spells and charms, and pawn Harry Potter. I laughed. I was of the opinion no child of Hecate would ever be as awesome as Harry the great.

When we went to the lunch hall we parted ways. Lisa heading for the Hecate table where she would sit with her big sister Lou-Ellen, and me heading to the Hermes table where I would be glomped with questions from Travis and Conner.

"Did Lisa get claimed?" Travis passed me a bowl of salad.

"No she's sitting at the Hecate table because she's decided to be a rebel instead of her usual good-two-shoes self." I rolled my eyes. It was a well know camp-wide fact that Lisa was a tattle-tale, goody-two-shoes, who always went along with the rules. She was Chiron's angel. She did anything she was told to do, she never pranked anyone, and she always told on people if she saw them doing something against the rules. I still loved the kid but her goody goody attitude could leave me feeling really fed-up with her at times.

"When do you think you're gonna get claimed?" Travis asked.

"You really want to get rid of me that bad?" I replied in mock defense. I tried to be happy and normal around my friends so that they wouldn't bother me with questions and pity.

"Yeah, if you don't get claimed anytime soon, we're gonna kick you out, and you can sleep in a tent." Conner joked.

The minute he said they'd kick me out a glowing yellow symbol was over my head. It was a beautiful cornucopia. Those things that are filled with fruit that the pilgrims used to give each other like Christmas presents around Thanksgiving; at least I think that was what they used to do with a cornucopia. I was never really good at American History when I went to school.

Chiron did his usual speech, "All hale, Leslie Banks, daughter of Tyche." He called from the big table where he and Dionysus usually sat.

"No, fair!" Travis whined. "THAT'S why you always win our poker tournaments. You're mom is the freaking goddess of luck and good fortune!"It was quite funny.

"See ya'll guys!" I smiled. Getting claimed was making me a little happier. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad now.

"Wait, where are you going?" Conner looked puzzled.

"I can't sit out the Hermes table _now_. To quote Lisa's ever famous line, That's against the rules." I rolled my eyes.

"But, you've been here for forever, we're going to miss you!" Travis pouted.

"Too bad, blame Conner, he made mom mad so she decided to claim me." I said, "Besides weren't you guys just talking about kicking me out?"

That shut the twins up. I walked over to the empty marble table with the cornucopia carved on the top. Maybe I could rebuild, now that I was in a new cabin. I vowed I would still remember and honor all of those who died. But I was going to try and be truly happy again. I figured this wasn't going to be easy. But I would do it. Block by block.

**Hi everyone thanks for reading. If you are a reader from my other two fanfics; No I have not forgotten them I am simply plotting out how to go about the next few chapters so that I can deliver the best product possible. Please give me any constructive criticism you have. It is deeply appreciated. **


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